In a multibeam satellite communications system, each Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) may need to be told, or may otherwise figure out, which of several available satellite spot beams the VSAT should use to establish connectivity to the satellite communications system. VSATs may be assigned to spot beams based on their geographic position. If a VSAT's location, when plotted on a map, lies within a particular contour of a spot beam, the VSAT may be assigned to that spot beam. In mobile satellite systems such as the THURAYA system, spot beam selection has been based on a VSAT's measurement of signal strength in nearby spot beams, as the VSAT attempts to find the “best” spot beam. The process a VSAT uses to find a spot beam may not be automated, and may be complex.